President of India Ram Nath Kovind announces that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has passed away

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar passed away on Sunday after battling a prolonged illness. He was 63 years old.

President of India Ram Nath Kovind announced on Twitter about Parrikar's demise. He tweeted saying:

"Extremely sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, after an illness borne with fortitude and dignity. An epitome of integrity and dedication in public life, his service to the people of Goa and of India will not be forgotten."

Parrikar was suffering from a serious pancreatic ailment. He was at his private residence at Dona Paula in Goa during his last hours. 

The condolence meeting will be held in the Union Cabinet at 11 am on Monday for the Goa Chief Minister.

One of the senior most and respectable leaders in the political arena, Parrikar was an alumnus of IIT Bombay before he stepped foot into politics. He was first elected into Goa Assembly in 1984.

He first became the CM of Goa in 2000 and was in the post for two years. 

In the elections which followed in 2002, he was re-elected, but had to step down in 2005 after his government lost the majority. 

Manohar Parrikar then began his third term as Goa CM in 2012 after his party won the state elections. He held the post for two years, before stepping down to take over as the Defence Minister from Arun Jaitley, who took over as the Finance Minister.

During his time as the Minister of Defence, Parrikar was credited with improving the sector through his diligent decision-making ability. He ceded his position to become the Goa CM again after BJP formed a coalition government in the state following elections in 2017.